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Prophet Did Not Force Safiyyah to Wear Hijaab

Question

Salam Aleykum!Is it true that the Prophet (PHUB) made Safiyya wear hijab? Or was as she a slave?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Safiyyah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her was not a slave woman when the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) married her. Rather, he emancipated her and then married her, as stated in an authentic Hadeeth.

The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) made her wear the Hijaab because she became a free woman.

Anas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated the story of Safiyyah bint Huyayy when the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) chose her (to be his wife), and the Muslims started to say: "If the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) makes her observe the Hijaab, then she has become one of the mothers of the believers (i.e. one of his wives), and if he does not make her observe the Hijaab, then she is still a slave woman." [Al-Bukhaari]

The fact that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) made her wear the Hijaab does not mean that he forced her to wear it. Rather, she was a believing woman and she wore the Hijaab out of her own free will. She had converted to Islam before he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) married her.

For more benefit on the Prophet’s marriage to Safiyyah, please refer to Fataawa 347950, married Safiyyah and Juwayriyah after they embraced Islam">308899 and 85306.

Allah knows best.

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